Despite soul being in the name, I feel like that's exactly what this story lacked. Each story just felt devoid of any substance, as if the words are conveying a moment in time that occurred but without the emotion stories like these need.

At the end of this read, I felt like I got nothing from it, and caught myself often zoning out throughout.

Doing some buddy reading of older comics and this was VERY dated. Love Spider-Man, the hero, but Peter in this run is very... eh.

DNF... This is another one of those multiple character storylines that will all converge, set in a historical backdrop. I have read a few books now like this, and I find myself just simply never enjoying this style of storytelling. Beautiful book cover and sprayed edges though!

Definitely one of Ali Hazelwood's best books so far. I was worried after a couple other reads recently of hers that this would also read like a contractual obligation, but this had such a great plot, and for a 400+ page book, moved well! This surpasses Bride, for me, and Koen is DEFINITELY a top three for fave MMC in the Aliverse. Serena, also, is in my top three for FMC in the Aliverse.

This novella is dull for what it's about. TBH, Ali's last couple of releases have been feeling more 'contractual obligation' than enjoyment of the game. So, I think this novella truly suffered from this vibe.

At the end of it all, this was fine. It wasn't necessarily bad, just unimpressive. Yet another book that feels more like a trope checklist being ticked off than giving a real creative effort. For a novella this short? This issue was glaringly obvious.

As a last comment, the shortness hurt the overall romance. It feels too quick how fast they move, even with the past story points being offered to show their history, but no chemistry is to be found within it all.

This is definitely a book you need to read the content warnings before reading. With that said, this was an amazing story. Metaphors? Beautiful and haunting. The horror is used perfectly for what this story is trying to convey without leaning into pointless gore/violence or cringe. I will definitely be picking up more of this authors work.

Hannah Bonam-Young has done it again! This is an author I will probably read anything they write. I am, admittedly, picky with romance books. However, Out of the Woods exceeded my expectations, and was truly one of the most enjoyable reads in general this year.

This is certainly a book with topics someone in their thirties, like me, can see themselves in. That can feel for the characters as they are navigating life and love. The vulnerability in admitting things need to be worked on instead of ignored. The vulnerability of things not being 'just right' yet for yourself. This book truly means something for me, and I think it would for many others.

DNF at chapter 13.

Thea Guanzon has really disappointed me with her Reylo inspired "The Hurricane Wars", but I was eager to try something else of hers.

Enter, Tusk Love, A book packed with trope after trope that I both dislike and are becoming so incredibly overused. Insta-love (And I do mean instant, egregiously so)? Check. Smol/Tol? Check. Grumpy MMC? Check. Naive, bratty FMC? Check. The list is endless, and my boredom was immediate.

What solidified my annoyance with this story was how nothing was fresh. All of the above tropes? You can put your own spin on them as an author! Instead, this book is so incredibly formulaic to the Romantasy genre that I truly feel this was just a copy/paste outline of a thousand others already out there/being written.

This genre has so much potential, and not a single author will raise the stakes with creativity. Tusk Love is a shining example of this problem.

A deep look into the prison system and racism, with a dystopian back drop. A story that hits hard in today's current climate. This is the book that needs to be read instead of 1984.

The writing style isn't for me, and it feels like a long-winded wind up to a shock reveal I'm not interested enough to find out about.